Played by the Piper Books in Order

Played by the Piper is a dark fantasy duology built from the legend of the Pied Piper, but Kennedy is not using that old story in a neat or cozy way. In this world, everything cracked open long ago. Power burst free, monstrous Banes nearly destroyed the world, and the damage they left behind became Plagues that still shape daily life. The setting matters because every part of the story carries that sense of aftermath, fear, and survival.

Every cure comes with a price.

The first book, The Sweetest Fiend, follows a heroine who is half Bane and half fae, which means she is marked as dangerous before the story even begins. She lives under suspicion, survives people’s hatred, and knows exactly how quickly a city can turn on someone like her. Then a Plague falls on her home, the Pied Piper arrives, and salvation comes with a brutal bill. He saves the city, but takes one hundred and thirty people as payment, including her.

That setup tells you a lot about what kind of series this is. The Piper is not a simple villain, and he is definitely not safe. The pull between him and the heroine is part captivity story, part bargain, part dark romance, and part larger mystery about what he wants and what her place in the world really means. She needs to get back to her family. He will not let her go. Around them, magic keeps turning desire into something more dangerous.

The world-scale stakes matter just as much as the romance. This is not only about one girl caught by one powerful man. It is also about plagues, old damage, hidden bloodlines, and the possibility that what looks like a single kidnapping might connect to something much bigger. Kennedy’s fantasy series often begin with a trapped heroine and then widen outward. This one seems built to do the same, only through darker folklore and a more openly cursed world.

If you like romantasy with fae politics, bargain-heavy tension, and a heroine who is feared for what she is, this series should feel familiar in a good way. If you want something light and playful, it probably will not. Start with The Sweetest Fiend, then continue in order, because a duology like this is clearly building one connected arc rather than separate adventures.